Program preselecting and control apparatus



Oct. 2, 1945. F. H. OWENS PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet l Lan lmm u n m BY IN K v s M w w y .M a w 7 0% k E 8 am & a 4. Ta 3 .r 4 my. 2 WM 07 wu w w n W .sh i 1 5 U 2/ M W 9 i 4 W. 5 fl v t. M m J i 3. g N 6 |1,w-/9 M A 5 8 T; ::.I nF L O m R s w m w m a o G v N o H I N M d F E e m n S F E R P M A R G O R P Get. 2, 1945}. F. H. OWENS PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed NOV. 23, 1942 W W/ MM A .N. v

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F. H. OWENS PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 25, 1942 B 7 W4. at/ x a 4 1 00 A m Oct. 2, 1945. F. H. OWENS 2,385,840

PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Shet 5 Paienied Oct 2, 1945 aseegeee The herein disclosed invention reiaaes to ep= e? me 0.? me batten key units, as mci immci paratus for preselectmg fiesired pregrems or se in the meemn quences and is a. continuation in of inven tions disclosed and covered in eepending pm'eni; applications Ser. No. 397,584, flied June 16, now Patent No. 2,33i588, 'Ser. No. zfiwme, filed July 16, 1942, and Ser. N0. 465,155, Nevemher 10,

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me 03' the key unit.

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1. view-e enceri symmetrical ermne; the ems-1r. where they can q .icizly loca'ed for the purpese' program; eliminate w and arrange the parts so new; tions Wm be made by bly; to pmvide the seiea't-ir structural units, which as died as such in the manuractzz v of the apparatus and in gene prove and reduce the ca under cansidera-tion.

One particular purpese of provide in cenjunctiezz a; ing devices, a memes E the seaiing devices W511 es and. restored an ciculaz' se sated prcgz'am @ther desirable ebjees ificetion pmceeds.

The me features which the are set 220F611 1 I covez m practise-i various ays scope e1 fore is m caisciesu 1s 21 mm (516V men: of the inven iem g, is an emw eei an substantially fine 02? particularly the distrieuter for clearing the program sect 4 is an enlarged 32::

5121 m2 2 iowel" ears m 'c-ne freme direct-1y in back or the front bar 2c, and connected by a wall or web 36, having openings 3?, cut through for passage of the slides and to provide the cross bars 38, for engagement with the shoulders 32. Inclines 39, on the lower edges of the plungers ride over these cross bars to depress the latch bar against the lifting efiect of the hairpin spring 36, seated on the bottom bar of the frame.

The top and bottom bars 5i, 62 of the frame are shown sectioned and the sections connected by dovetail joints 63, Fig. 6, to enable easy assembly of the slides, latch bar and springs.

The actual closing of circuit is eiiected in each case by the inner end of a push button slide coming into engagement with a contact cup or thimble 65, supported by a spring iii, in a guide hole tit, in the back of an insulating panel ill, said panel having communicating openings 68, at the front to admit the ends of said slides.

The contact supporting springs or, are in turn backed up and supported by the ten concentrically disposed bus bar rings dd, set in slots E56, in the back of the panel and held by retainer strips 55, of insulating material.

The push buttons may be screwed or otherwise removably engaged on the ends of the slides to permit assembly of the switch units by passing the shanks of the slides through openings 52, in the front panel 53, after which the buttons can be applied. After assembling the yielding switch contacts 66, springs 65 and bus rings or, in the back panel and securing these parts by the retainer strips hi, the entire back, panel assembly can be attached to the front panel to clamp all the push button assemblies in place.

Timing is effected in the illustration by a distributor brush operated from the time clock to successively engage the push button frames, representing each a particular time and by a rotary timing switch. Both distributor brush and rotary switch are driven from the time clock which, as shown in Fig. 2, may comprise a constant speed clock motor 5Q, having a radial arm or arms as,

on the hour hand sleeve so, carrying an insulating tangentially extending spring brush Elli, split at E58, Fig. 2, to provide one branch es, riding a cinrent supply ring so, and a second branch tit,

to snap from the end ii, of one key frame onto 7 i the next.

In this manner, each key frame is connected in circuit with the current supply ring, prefer-.

each particular time in a single straight row lined up radially with that time indication on the clock dial, enables these keys to be immediately identifled and selected directly from the clock dial. The individual keys or buttons in a, row may be marked to identify the stations or the tuners, from i to Q, which they control. or some such indications may be provided on the panel alongside such keys. Also the buttons may be difierently colored to facilitate quick selection of difierent stations.

The nine tuners, with their wave band selectaseao ing switches having been properly adjusted to bring in difierent desired stations, it is only necessary then, to set up a program, to pick out the rows representing the particular time periods and to push the button in each of those rows representing the station which it is desiredto hear in that special time period. The operation of this button in each row releases any previously operated button and locks the last button in, as the button for the number 1 station in Fig. 4. Then when the branch Si, or the distributor brush contacts this particular time frame, as indicated in Fig. 4, the number l busring 59, at the back of the depressed key will be connected in circuit with the common supply ring Ell.

This circuit may be followed further in the wiring diagram Fig. 15, wherein the rotary timing switch 62, is shown as having radial arms 63, which at one point in their rotary movement'momentarily connect contacts 6d, 65, to send current through wiring 66, from one side of the power transformer 57, and by wiring $8, to supply ring 56, current flow then continuing across the branches so, $5, of the distributor brush 5?, to

the top bar (it, of the button frame and from the depressed button slide 26, to the engaged contact iil, and through spring as to bus ring 69.

If this be the number '1 bus ring, as in Fig. 4,

a solenoid 69, Figs. 2 and 15, connected by wiring id, with that bus ring will be energized, the necessary return connections including wiring ll, back to the other side of current source ti.

Solenoid es thus energized operates a circuit closer 72, for the particular circuits necessary for that tuner, details of these features being unnecessary to consider here, because of the full disclosure and coverage of same in copending patent applications referred to.

Included in the return connections ll, indicated in Fig. 15, there is shown an "on" magnet 93, which thus for each station selecting action is energized to throw or to hold the rocking mercury switch M, in position, closing a main supply circuit is, through the radio section of the apparatus.

A reverse acting "ofi magnet i6, is shown connected bywiring ill, with the innermost ofi" bus ring it), and by connection it, in the return side ii, of the control circuit, so that if the oil button 26, of the row is in at the time the circuit is closed, mercury switch it, will be swung to open the radio supply circuit and the radio will therefore remain on for that particular period.

If it is desired to include recording mechanism in the apparatus, as disclosed in above identified applications, a yes and "no" voting turnbutton may be provided as indicated at be, Figs. 1 and i5, and a so-called fifteen ute solenoid 8i, will be connected across the control circuit 68, H, at $2, 88, to release the voting button from the position to which it has been turned, at the end-oi each broadcast or other predetermined period.

The record strip is indicated generally at 86, Fig. 15 and also in this view the "on" and off switch is indicated at so, connected across the radio supply circuit l5.

If the same program is to be continued day after day, the selector buttons may be left as placed. If, on the other hand, it is desired to discontinue the automatic program selection, after going through a predetermined sequence, all selecting switches may be automatically cleared, after having served their purpose by tus, compris a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each other but the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed and in position to be successively engaged by said rotary contactor, bus rings at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push button elements in said rows and electrical connections for completing circuits with bus bars selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with-the terminal contacts of the rows in which said selected push button elements are located.

6. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each otherbut the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed and in position to be successively engaged by said rotary contactor, bus rings at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push button elements in said rows and electrical connections for completing circuits with bus bars selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with the terminal contacts of the rows in which said selected ,push button elements are located, said electrical connections including yielding contact members interposed between the individual push button elements and the bus rings at the back of the same.

7. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each other but the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed and in position to be successively engaged by said rotary contactor, bus rings at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push butassua e selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with the terminal contacts of the rows in which said selected push button elements are located, interlocking means for securing the push buttons selected in the several rows and means for releasing said interlocking means, said releasing means being shiftable from an inoperative to an operative position, whereby the program predetermined by said apparatus may be repeated or be automatically cleared.

9. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a, rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each other but the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed 'and in position to be successively engaged by said rotary contactor, bus rings at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push button elements in said rows and electrical connections for completing circuits with bus bars selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with the terminal contacts of the rows in which said selected push' button elements are located, interlocking slides for securing the push buttons selected in the rows, a member operated by said time clock for releasing said slides, said member being shiftable from an inactive to an active position to either leave said interlocking slides in a program repeating condition or to release the slides to .clear the apparatus. 7

10. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a rotating contac- 40 tor operated thereby, radially extending frames ton elements in said rows and electrical connections for completing circuits with bus bars selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with the terminal contacts of the rows in which said selected push button elements are located, interlocking means for holding any selected push button and for releasing any previously selected push button in a row and means at each row for releasing the interlocking means of that row for clearing all the push button elements in the row.

8. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each other but the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed and in position to be successively engaged by said rotary contactor, bus rings at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push button elements in said rows and electrical connections for completing circuits with bus bars positioned for successive engagement by said rotating contactor, a group of push buttons in each frame and having said frame as a common electrical terminal, bus rings in electrically connectable relation with said push buttons and electrical circuit connections from said bus rings to said rotating contactor.

11. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, radially extending frames positioned for successive engagement by said rotating contactor, a group of push buttons in each frame and having said frame as a common electrical terminal, bus rings in electrically connectablerelation with said push buttons, electrical circuit connections from said bus rings to said rotating contactor, a latch for the push buttons, slidingly mounted in each of said frames and having a projecting portion, a rotating arm operated by said time clock and a latch releasing member movably mounted on said am and shiftable into position either to engage or to be free of said projecting portions of the latches in the rotation of said arm.

12. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising gangs of push buttons arranged in time signifying sequence, the push buttons in each gang being electrically connected and individually representing difierent broadcast stations or the like, a time clock, a distributor operated by said time clock to connect said gangs in circuit completing condition in step with passage of time, station identifying buses in position for cooperative relation with the individual push buttons of said gangs, and means operable by a selected push button torelease a previously actuated button of a gang and leave the circuit set up by the last actuated push button, whereby at a selected time a previously selected bus.

will be automatically connected in circuit completing condition and control devices electrically connected with the respective buses.

13. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising gangs oi push buttons arranged in time signifying sequence, the push buttons in each gang being electrically connected and individually representing diilerent broadcast stations or the like, a time clock, a distributor operated by said time clock to connect said gangs in circuit completing condition in step with passage of time, station identifying buses in position for cooperative relation with the individual push buttons of said gangs, means operable by a selected push button to release a previously actuated button of a gang and leave the circuit set up by the last actuated push button, whereby at a selected time a previously selected bus will be automatically connected in circuit completing condition, control devices electrically connected with the respective buses and an 03" push button for each gang controlling and under control of said means, for either clearing all the buttons in a gang or for leaving in the button previously selected, for repetition of the program.

14. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising gangs of push buttons arranged in time signifying sequence, the push buttons in each gang being electrically connected and individually representing difierent broadcast stations or the like, a time clock, a distributor operated a by said time clock to connect said gangs in circult completing condition in step with passage of time, station identifying buses in position for cooperative relation with the individual push buttons of said gangs, means operable by a selected push button to release a previously actuated button ofa gang and leave the circuit set up by the last actuated push button, whereby at a selected time a previously selected bus will be automatically connected in circuit completing condition, control devices electrically connected with the respective buses, an on push button for each gang controlling and under control oi said means, for either clearing all the buttons in a gang or for leaving in the button previously selected, for repetition of the program, an off bus cooperatively related with the oil buttons of said gangs and a circuit interrupter electrically connected with said ofi bus.

, 15. Program preseiecting and control apparatus, comprising gangs of ush buttons arranged circuit completing condition in step with passage of time, station identifying buses in position for cooperative relation with the individual push buttons of said gangs, means operable by a selected push button to release a previously actuated button of a gang and leave the circuit set up by the last actuated push button, whereby at a selected time a previously selected bus will be automatically connected in circuit completing condition, control devices electrically connected with the respective buses, a clearing device operated by said time clock and means for setting said clearing device to engage and release said means or to remain free of said means, to thereby clear all the push buttons or to leave the selected push buttons in set position to continue the same program.

'16. Program preselecting and control apparatus, comprising rows of push buttons, each row representative of a particular time and each push button in a row representative of a particular broadcast station or the like, a time clock, a distributor operated thereby and arranged to electrically connect all the push buttons in a row at the time represented by a given row, buses in back of and arranged to be electrically connected with individual actuated push buttons in said rows, electric control means connected with said buses and interlocking means operable by a selected push button in a row for automatically clearing previously actuated push buttons in that row.

1'7. Program preselecting and control appararatus comprising a time clock, a rotating contactor operated thereby, rows of push button elements, said rows being insulated from each other but the push button elements of each row having a common terminal contact, said contacts being circularly disposed and in position for successive engagement by said rotary contactor, bus bars at the back of said push button elements insulated from each other and disposed in cooperative relation with the individual push button elements in said rows, and electrical connectionsfor completing circuits with said bus bars selected by individual push buttons in said rows when said circuit closer in its rotary movement comes into cooperative engagement with the terrninal contacts of the rows in which said selected push button elements are located.

FREEMAN H. OWENS. 

